McCartney's Weird Sequence

I thought it would be fun to look at one of my favourite uses of the ARP Sequencer, which is in Paul McCartney's "Temporary Secretary" released in 1980.
I also thought it would be interesting to see what the song would sound like if everything was done on synths, rather than guitars, bass and drums.
0:00 Temporary Secretary
2:00 Let's do our own version
6:01 The Result
Huge thanks to my Patrons.

[@synthnerd4539]

@4:20 shouldn't that be 'cistern 100'? 👀

[@AlexBallMusic]

Oh. My. God.

[@RegebroRepairs]

Controlare il Cisterna.

[@RegebroRepairs]

@@Cheeses_K_Riced Only Swedish synthpop podcast in-jokes. :-D But you can say it in Swedish too: Kontrollera Cisternen.

[@darwiniandude]

lol - just about fell off my chair

[@eivind105]

This became very 420ish.

[@Tranquillado]

As soon as I read “McCartney’s Weird Sequence” I immediately knew which classic Macca tune it was. 😁

[@Brokenface]

Me too

[@pinkmark4047]

I read it and heard this sequence immediately in my head

[@user-gv3ql3tl7y]

+ 😂

[@maxiuxoxo]

A classic for sure 😝

[@agheoane]

I saw Paul around five years ago and was so thrilled/shocked that he played this one.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, the madlad did it live!

[@keykrazy]

Prior to that tour he solicited setlist suggestions from fans on his website. I went on there and suggested TS be added to the set, yet quite certain it wouldn't be. Was so surprised he actually went and played it!

[@arothmanmusic]

I think younger DJs discovered the song and started playing it for dance clubs which sort of gave it a second life.

[@MegaIceLynx]

Mega64 have been playing it in videos for the last ten years and leading a push for this song when Paul asked for recommendations. Love to see it.

[@rightside]

you mean Billy Shears?

[@FrankJames]

I noticed recently that "Temporary Secretary" has many similarities to "Paperback Writer." - Both titles are a job. - Both lyrics are written in the form of a letter. - The chorus in both is "I [verb] a [job title]". - Both are (mostly) 2 chord songs. (Temporary Secretary has more on the bridges, but the verse and chorus are basically just 2). - Both have a central riff

[@SusieUndertale]

- Both are 10/10 songs

[@billycool6237]

Wow who knew the personality guy was also the music man

[@AlexBallMusic]

Two sides of the same page. Interesting.

[@GregoryKeithe]

I picked up on those similarities before as well ✍️😅 Sorry, Paul, there is no left handed writing emoji 😏

[@yagirljunee]

I realized a while back you could put the lyrics of paperback writer over temporary secretary lmao

[@FatNorthernBigot]

🎶"Simply, adding, a wonderful sequence line" 🎶😊

[@AlexBallMusic]

Oh sheeeiiiit.

[@TheDavidPoole]

🤦😁🫵😎

[@innerstatejt]

We have a winner!

[@regfries8279]

You win the internet today.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@regfries8279 I have to admit, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.

[@Ardamax_]

This sequence belongs on a sick-ass '90s industrial techno track. Definitely Paul's weirdest composition, puts a smile on my face every time I think about it, let alone hear it

[@jtn191]

Weirdest but none of us have heard Carnival of Light...

[@Ardamax_]

What the fuck are you talking about? Did you read the sentence you typed? Have you not heard "Carnival of Light?" Literally what?@@jtn191

[@gman1010]

He invented techno with this

[@SlyHikari03]

Sounds it should've had Trent Reznor on it.

[@dafunkbacktodapunk909]

Check out Riton’s version!

[@ToyKeeper]

This song has some really interesting compositional techniques. It turns "the most annoying sound you've ever heard", as you put it, into kind of a banger.

[@whatrhimeswithorange]

My mom one day showed me temporary secretary in the car didn’t tell me what it was and went “guess who this is you never will” and she was right i had no clue, been hooked on this song and its strange neurotic sound ever since because ive still never heard anything quite like it.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Excellent momming.

[@kalthoff1965]

hats off to your mom! 👍

[@ericbuczynski4061]

Great story! My Aunt introduced me to this same song. I was about 7 before I was told he was in The Beatles. I think the weird sequence stood out and I never forgot this song.

[@deralfenderson]

Not even two seconds in and I got a HUGE smile on my face. McCartney II is one of my all time favorite albums!!

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

Yes, it's one of Paul's best solo LPs. I was so poor, I had to borrow it from the local library in 1980 but I loved it. TS is an earworm of terrifying intensity, though...

[@alloriginalpirates]

One of the best songs of all time. My band was called 'Secretaire' after this song.

[@thesilvershining]

That’s amazing, lol.

[@daev3000]

When I read the title I knew exactly which song it was referring to.

[@chilligst]

Same here. Exactly. There´s only this one song fitting the description.

[@JayKaufman]

It's a shame that it's not 2005, because I have a feeling your cover would have been absolutely huge on the electroclash scene!

[@o1000ir]

I think Erol Alkan & Rory Phillips brought the tune a new audience at Trash back in the day, so it kind of did get its moment in the Electroclash scene

[@frooonk]

​@@o1000irThere was also a Radio Slave edit.

[@RedSkylinex60]

I was just thinking something along those lines!!!

[@robertdahlqvist5402]

I actually like the song "Wonderful Christmas Time" That Synth part has somehow a cosy feel to it and overall its a cosy simple song. Maybe an episode for upcoming Xmas 🤔 Thanks for great content, as always. Cheers

[@keykrazy]

Fellow lover of WCT here. Finally got to where the not-quite-in-tempo delays on those synth stabs didn't bug me anymore, lol. Would be nice to see what thoughts our Mr. Ball has on the song..

[@saftpackerl]

He would have to get a CS80 for that :D@@keykrazy

[@fallingmanuk]

@@saftpackerlsurely it’s only a matter of time? 🤞

[@leopoldbluesky]

As long as Alex doesn't do Frog Chorus afterwards I'd tolerate WCT.

[@thrownstair]

Paul McCartney makes fun silly music and everyone shouts at him for it, let a man be a little silly :

[@dirkmarkham]

when I moved to Berlin in 2004 I was working at Gigolo Records and at the time DJ Hell had Temporary Secretary in his top 10. as a massive Macca fan, I was impressed! :)

[@AlexBallMusic]

I'd heard it had a resurgence with certain DJs in this century, hence McCartney started doing it live.

[@dirkmarkham]

@@AlexBallMusic bangin tune! your synth version is awesome!!

[@jimiscott]

Radioslave also reworked it.

[@Polydarian]

I have that one on test pressing vinyl! @@jimiscott

[@jimiscott]

@@Polydarian Nice - I heard Derrick May play it towards the end of a set at the 'The End' before it closed. Took me forever to find it.

[@uaca_uaca]

One of my favourite Paul album, He played all the instruments !

[@lazymountain]

persistent assistant.. noice

[@JoshMaxPower]

Thank you for this! "Temporary Secretary" is, for me, the best solo Macca. That and "Coming Up," "Bogey Music," "Waterfalls" and really, the rest of the album. And my favorite moments from "Temporary Secretary" are the words "BOW!" and the bird sounds at the end. Been listening to "McCartney II" since it came out. The guy is baked throughout, and it shows. "Rubber Soul" was the cannibis Beatles album, "McCartney II" is the solo weed Macca album.

[@alanmatthews9945]

An excellent video and version. TS was a song I didn't like at all when it came out but since the EDM explosion of the nineties and noughties I've grown to love it. It's as if Macca casually decided to compose a track that wouldn't really be fit for release for another twenty years - a hint of genius in my book.

[@docsavage8640]

He has a lot of those both released and unreleased

[@AlanRPearlmanFoundation]

Excellent!

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

That was one great cover of the track you made. Someone ought to give it to its composer.

[@daev3000]

A fantastic new interpretation of a fantastic song.

[@davidryle]

This is why I'm a Patreon contributor. You have no reservations about going with the eclectic, odd - BALL artifacts from the musical past that some cherish but might never own up to. And you do it with your own inimitable style and with a gracious, modest nod to the history. Thank you Alex.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank YOU!

[@HangoverTelevision]

I'd never pay anyone for doing their hobby, it's ridiculous. If you want to do something like this: get a job, earn money and do it in your free time on your own expenses. If you beg others for money for such silly things, you are a brainless weakling! ô.o

[@allgonewrongful]

"I'm an unstoppable vintage plonker!" Brilliant.

[@yalincokyay]

Can't believe this was released in 1980, neither that i haven't heard it untill now. Insane original and rendition! 😍

[@sndesigner01]

OMG that was an AMAZING version!! Macca would be so proud of you. You are a genius.

[@TheFragrantClerk]

Certainly one of the songs of all time.

[@thespots]

The sequence, given melody, lyrics and overall vibe of this song has always sounded like something Stewart Copeland would have done as Klark Kent.

[@cds9000]

Alex, this is an absolute banger. That "basic" bass line actually makes the track for me. Killer.

[@glenesis]

That's my favorite song on that album. All my friends hated that album at the time 😂

[@AlexBallMusic]

Haha. It's quite the sound, yes!

[@itsdeville]

Temporary secretary was very much ahead of it’s time. Great segment, nice to get some history on this tune.

[@jnnx]

It was very much of 1980. Wait til you discover the synth gods of the 70’s!

[@oldunclemick]

​@@jnnx yep definitely of its time. Takes me back to '79.

[@IozziEric]

@@jnnx I think he meant it was ahead of its time in a broader context, considering mainstream rock and pop in general.

[@toi_techno]

The sleaziness was very of its time though

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

@@toi_techno Hmmm, yes: "sitting on my knee..."

[@tigerlight430]

An even better use of the sequencer appears on the track 'Secret Friend' which is on the reissue CD. It's over 10 minutes long but full of interesting shifts which keep up the momentum

[@markmarshallmusic]

This is a blast and a half. Nice work, as always!

[@eugenecanady5452]

i never cease to be how awesome your videos are. great stuff!

[@2ndattention]

First time I rolled my friends put this LP on. The whole thing is magical. Great re-creation

[@KeithRowley]

Ha! That was so much fun! Thanks for taking us on your fun little jaunt, Alex!

[@Toolsquatch]

Jesus, this sounds like a single off of a nonexistent greatest industrial album of all time: absolutely smashing, old chap!

[@Bassface138]

Perfect video as always… it is so much fun to watch, thank you!!!

[@SynthgodXXX]

Excellent video! Fantastic cover and history!

[@TheRotfox]

Wow! This is an absolutely amazing take on this song!

[@user-ec3tb9xe6p]

KZbin would be a drabber place without your multi-faceted work. I routinely bookmark this stuff and look forward to your next richly musical piece.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks!

[@ronaldwild]

simply cool! Thank you for all your great videos! Love them

[@philipbanks8002]

amazing Alex, another great feature you've put together! love the original and your version is ace!

[@JonManness]

Brilliant! I’m in awe of creators like you who put the time into producing videos like these!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@tryingtotryistrying]

check out captain pikant he does deep dives on electronic drum patterns, good stuff like this channel

[@TismeJohnDee]

Thank you once again. I'd never heard that one before, but could imagine it sowed seeds in many minds. Brilliant stuff.

[@ConstantineVenizelos]

Mate, what a brilliant video! Happily subscribing to your channel after this! Laughter, joy and sincerity all at once!

[@ezrakh]

So glad you did this, one of my favorite McCartney tunes off my favorite album of his!

[@oldman4863]

well, that was more fun than my ears have had in quite a spell!! been listening for a while finally subscribed!

[@Musikkeller-Innsider]

Thanks for digging out and reinterpreting this piece of music history!

[@bananaghost427]

Oh my goodness! You are consistently great, Mr Alex, but this is one of my favorites! Very interesting analysis and history, and a fantastic cover af a very groovy tune.

[@DavidFell]

Very nice job. I learned a lot and enjoyed your cover version!

[@niceheartwhitesuit]

Well this is just f*cking delightful.

[@garblojones]

man your version really slaps dude! excellent video

[@vytispuronas]

Brilliant video, thanks for doing this! Temporary Secretary ARP sequence is among my Top 10 synth sequences of all time. Cheers!

[@withiddenoise]

I recently discovered this song despite having the sheet music for years. It helped renew my interest in all things Paul. Your version is amazing and what the world needs more of right now.

[@JoRoBu17]

This is an EXCELLENT version of this song. Thanks for putting this together - especially thoughtful and well done.

[@Contextflexed]

This really bangs. Very ambitious and studious awesomeness.

[@LabRatWarfare]

This was really freaking great man, I love your version!! 😁🐀

[@rikkii7457]

Amazing song and an amazing cover! ❤

[@DarianClarkMusic]

Absolutely brilliant! As a McCartney fan and a music maker myself I really enjoyed this one!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks!

[@TheVinylVerdict]

Awesome work recreating one of the most unique tracks in the whole Macca collection! Nailed the mixing and harmonies too! I remember there's also one brief section where he lifts the loop by a full octave which I always thought was him leaning into the weirdness and making it even more shrill 😝

[@meadowqueen8866]

Interesting, informative, and FUN video! Luved your version!

[@textnotepro]

Brilliant just brilliant. To have the history and the recreation. Really enjoyed this. Thank you

[@Bloops]

I had the biggest grin on my face this entire video, and learned so much more than I ever expected to find on the making of this song. Ending off with an original cover and music video was not remotely in my list of expectations but I'm so happy to have them surpassed so hard. My new favourite video on the internet, and most likely whatever other net is out there.

[@halphillips1775]

Holy smokes, this was amazing. I'd like to listen to this regularly. Something to wake you up in the morning!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Imagine that as your alarm at 6am.

[@leopoldbluesky]

This made my Sunday morning even better. I've of my favourite Macca tracks, and what a fantastic version - cheers Alex!

[@Stev0BabaGhanoush]

This tune has been in my standard rotation for a while. This video was completely unexpected, but certainly welcome!!

[@liquidintegrity]

This is one of the bestest 🤩💖 didn't know Paul was doing early techno beats!

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

I love this! It’s a weird album but it’s one of my favorites. I think I once mentioned that some of your stuff sounded like it could be on McCartney II and in a good way. Great arrangement and production, as usual!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I remember you sharing it and us talking about it, yeah. I love that album too. I only noticed the other day about how Waterfall has almost the same lyrics to TLC's Waterfall too. Another weird connection.

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

@@AlexBallMusic I remember when the TLC song came out I was like “They ripped off Paul!” I read somewhere that he became aware of the song but decided not to do anything about it other than take it as a compliment.

[@AlexBallMusic]

​@@EarmonkeyMusicYeah, I read the same. It's so specific that they probably did it subconsciously.

[@Banglish123]

That was really good fun and a bloody good cover to boot.

[@wirenoises]

Okay, I've enjoyed so much of what you've created, but this will be hard for you to top. Great job on a such a quirky track. 👏

[@oliver-dp2yo]

guys like you make the internet worthwhile!

[@Rickyjay23]

No lie this version goes so hard! I loved this so much

[@edwardferry8247]

Fantastic… 👏🙌.. superb album, brilliant cover and reworking. 🥇

[@soepil]

Now, that sounded absolutely fantastic! And the song is, of course, a favourite here, too. :) Thank you.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@patricksmith4424]

Really interesting vid, thanks for putting together. If ever there was a Paul album that showed the variety and depth of Paul as a musician its this one. One of these days and waterfalls are both stunning tracks from the album and of course totally different to Temporary secretary. In many ways Paul could have gone down the techno, tech route for later projects, he'd obviously mastered how to use the equipment. Instead on his next album Tug of war he went back to a much more band, orchestra sound, similar to the Beatles.

[@haydenduvall162]

I genuinely choked on the Jammy Dodger I was eating when you said "I'm an unstoppable vintage plonker". Bravo!

[@AlexBallMusic]

🫡

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

Wow, you still get Jammy Dodgers? We could buy them loose from the school tuck shop for a couple of pre-decimal pennies, but I'd only go for one of those if I couldn't afford a Wagon Wheel !!

[@TheDavidPoole]

@@rhodaborrocks1654 wagon wheels - "So big, you gotta grin to get it in". Can't see that line getting into an ad these days 😁

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

@@TheDavidPoole 🤣🤣🤣

[@timburdsey]

@@TheDavidPooleSadly, one doesn’t need to grin any more. The bloody things have a greatly reduced diameter. Jammy dodgers, pleasingly, by contrast, have retained their size. 😉😂

[@-______-______-]

Good work dude. Putting your really great equipment to good use!

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

Seriously you are the complete and total package Alex. Thanks for sharing the whole breakdown with the MS50 and all those parts. That’s what really makes your channel yours.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@fiddlestickzmuzik]

This is exactly how you can keep making great content, finding tracks and showing us how they were made and what gear was used. The more unique synth wise, obviously the better..😊also that track at 3:55 was banging !!! you could write a whole techno track around that, the kick was monster.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Enjoying the Pearl SC-40, it makes some very cool noises.

[@BetweentheBeans]

possibly my favorite song ever, and one i’ve covered many, many times. this goes way harder than any of my attempts. there are some people who are no longer friends with me because i played Temporary Secretary too much…no apologies

[@AlexBallMusic]

Never apologise.

[@keykrazy]

Similar story here except it was "All You Horse Riders" that I'd played just enough times to annoy the girlfriend and a couple of roommates. I think this gave me better luck when i started playing TS more -- like it was better received because it had a more-proper pop song structure or something.

[@gremghost101]

oh this goes so ungodly hard i enjoy this so much you did an amazing job

[@synthpro]

This was a fun one Alex! Great work in the recreation.

[@wai0937]

Still hard to believe the guy who wrote “Blackbird” also wrote this. It’s a banger. I’ve used it in DJ mixes and it mixes perfectly. Sounds like something Mr. Oizo would’ve created.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep! He was happy to experiment and I'm all for it.

[@kevinhartnell2075]

My favorite PM song! Great video and wonderful take on this classic!

[@jdea419]

Persistent Assistant, Nice!!!! Awesome job recreating this track. Really enjoyed this

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Sounds exactly like Me messing with Reasons Matrix pattern sequencer, that sound I'd good for Techco, lay some chords over it.

[@gregorysharp]

It sounded so much better live. I saw it in Sacramento when Paul opened the new arena there. He was the very first concert for the Sacramento Downtown arena whose name eludes me for the moment. It was 7 years ago? Five? Meh. I’m off to work. Gotta go. I need a temporary secretary. ❤

[@jrsivmusic]

Every video Alex makes instantly inspires me. As a lifelong Macca fan I knew a lot of the McCartney II story, the Archive Collection Deluxe set had a wealth of information. Reading about a sequencer is quite different from seeing it in action. Thanks for making my day brother...

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

Love your work, Alex. So much research and thought put into these videos. Love it!!!

[@jethrobradley7850]

Very well done. It was only as you were building your version of the song that I realised how much of a DEVO feel there is in it. I don't know if Paul is/was a fan?

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yeah, it's got some Devo about it. Who knows.

[@404TVfr]

He loves Devo. Even tried referencing them on a few occasions.

[@jethrobradley7850]

@@404TVfr Cool. I didn't know that.

[@IanThatMetalBassist]

It reminds me of the synth part during the intro to Smart Patrol

[@jethrobradley7850]

@@IanThatMetalBassist Good shout. I wasn't familiar with that track so had to search it. Apparently they first played it on their New Traditionalists tour in '81.

[@weaktearecords]

This was really cool! Could you please do the same thing with something from Neil Young's (now legendary) Trans album? "We R In Control" would be awesome!

[@Ian-gw2vx]

Brilliant! One of my fav McCartney singles.

[@richcolour]

Wow such a great song! First time hearing this. Amazing cover!

[@jalgernonhawthorne410]

I like that McCartney is very "now I can do all these nice little songs that the boys poo-pooed" and McCartney II is like "oh wait, I can do a bunch of WEIRD stuff too!"

[@Relapsation]

Im glad for once someone is talking about how great this track is and not how they hate it or something

[@In_Set]

This is great. Nice job, dude.

[@renemies78]

That was so good! Loved it.

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

'Please Mr Adecco' doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

[@AlexBallMusic]

You're giving me flashbacks to sitting in there as a skint, wannabe musician signing up for jobs in call centres. (Shivers)

[@enricopallazzoofficial]

I admit that i'm not a McCartney fan (I LOVE "Maybe I'm Amazed" but that's it) but your version of "Temporary Secretary" is soooo cool. It has the same vibe that had Soft Cell "Memorabilia" covered by Nine Inch Nails.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@TheDavidPoole]

Best tune Soft Cell ever did. Used to love it when it was played in the "new wave" and "futurist" clubs back in the 80s. Very ahead of its time, along with Blue Monday.

[@DerekPower]

@@TheDavidPooleIn a nice bit of convergence, both New Order and Soft Cell were into the Danceteria and other NYC dance clubs at the same time (1980)

[@devaux1904]

thanks so much.. one of my favorite songs of his.

[@kalthoff1965]

one of my all-time-favorites by Macca ... hilarious and a very entertaining video! 😁